Kristen Wiig is 3x Emmy-nominated and arguably the most successful female SNL player of all time. (1) She has 57 impressions. (2) She has 27 recurring characters. (3) She's been in 20 movies. (4) She wrote/acted in the hit film, Bridesmaids... NEXT FILMS: Friends with Kids, Revenge for Jolly, Imogene, Comedian, How to Train Your Dragon 2, & Clown Girl.

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Written by Dan Mirvish. My notes are below his points, marked as "Editor". Enjoy!
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As the awards season brings a renewed -- and mostly well-deserved -- attention to the film Bridesmaids, I feel it might be worth revisiting. To be clear, I found the movie to be genuinely entertaining and I'm happy it's getting awards consideration this season. That said, I saw it in its third or fourth week of general release last summer and I couldn't help but feel disappointed in a few ways -- some objective, some not so much. As a filmmaker myself, I'm generally loathe to critique another movie in public. (And if I didn't like the movie at all, I wouldn't have cared. But somehow, I do.) So in no particular order, then (and at the considerable personal risk of never getting hired by Judd Apatow) here are my Top 11 Reasons Bridesmaids was Strangely Disappointing:

1. It's not a female version of The Hangover. That's good, right? But one reason people thought it would be was prominently displayed in the trailer: a slow-motion shot of the titular bridesmaids (a phrase that itself could have come from The Hangover) as they round the corner of a jetway with a Vegas poster in the back. Guess what? They don't make it to Vegas. This is a tribute to the movie: It's not the female version of The Hangover. It's its own movie and should be proud of it. But the cast and crew have no one to blame but Universal's own marketing strategy for the comparison. It's a good lesson for all filmmakers: You live by the trailer, you die by the trailer.

Editor: By design. The filmmakers were likely never thinking of The Hangover. However, the marketing team saw it and realized that they go to Vegas (sort of) and that the airplane sequence is hilarious. So with a little bit of efforts, they made the trailer seem like they were flying to Vegas, and thus, would get compared as a "female Hangover." Bridesmaids made $280 million! Do you think the trailer had anything to do with that? Heck yeah, and they purposefully made it look like "Hangover for chicks", which helped sell the film beautifully. So, yeah, "By design" is the response here.

2. Foreigners. OK, you're in Milwaukee. Why are Kristen Wiig's two roommates British siblings? They're perfectly amusing characters, but why are they British? And then what would be the odds of her falling for the one Irish highway patrolman in Wisconsin? I'm guessing that Wisconsin has never had an Irish highway patrolman. These foreigners are barely explained away, which leads me only to believe that the filmmakers liked these actors from the comedy circuit or to get co-financing from Great Britain or some other reason that took me out of the movie. You couldn't find any American actors to play those parts? Really?

Editor: Good points, but those actors did make the characters more interesting. And yes, Kristen and company probably scouted out their comedic talents and were thinking about talent first (over than making sure foreigners weren't in Milwaukee).

3. Milwaukee. I was stoked to see that Bridesmaids was set in Milwaukee. A nice, non-obvious choice that was played realistically as a cosmopolitan mid-sized midwestern city. The film was neither patronizing nor pollyanish about Milwaukee with nary a beer brewing Laverne & Shirley reference to be found. In fact, one of the first cuts on the excellent soundtrack was a cool cover of the Milwaukee-based band, The Violent Femmes. Nice touch! The movie was also refreshingly not set in a tax-credit grubbing state like Michigan. The only problem was, as the credits would indicate, the film was shot in California. Or at least that was the only film commission thanked by name in the credits. You would think the Wisconsin Film Commission deserves a thank you just by virtue of the B-roll helicopter shots of Milwaukee, but no.

Editor: So you're complaining that they adequately fooled you? So?

4. Jill Clayburgh's last movie. This was strangely personal as I'd recently met with Jill Clayburgh's real daughter, Tony-nominated actress Lily Rabe, right before seeing Bridesmaids. So it was oddly disconcerting to see Kristen Wiig playing Clayburgh's fake daughter in the movie. Especially because Wiig is at least 15 years older than Lily. In any case, it's traditional to give some sort of acknowledgement in your end credits to a famous actor who dies during post production. But unless I missed it, I saw no such "in memory of" credit to Clayburgh in the credits. Furthermore, I haven't seen a single "for your consideration" ad this awards season from Universal or any PR-generated articles suggesting she should get a posthumous supporting actress award. Maybe they're there, but I haven't seen them.

Editor: Agree on both points (she should have been credited and should be considered for a GG or AA nomination).

5. Minor characters sounded like Kristen Wiig. I felt like several of the minor characters in the movie (i.e., a woman on the plane, the teenager at the jewelry store) sounded like they were doing Kristen Wiig impersonations from her SNL characters. Wiig herself sometimes did, too, but that's to be expected, I suppose. My wife thinks this could be explained by the fact that Wiig was a co-writer of the script, but it still took me out of the movie.

Editor: I agree big time! I was watching the whole movie, and I couldn't help but feel like it was a world full of Kristen Wiig! Everybody was Kristen Wiig! I spoke it out loud to those around me during both those scenes you mentioned (jewelry store and airplane), but even Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Hamm, and Rose Byrn were speaking and acting like Kristen Wiig!!! And yes, that took me out of the movie. However, that's part of what gave the movie it's charm and success. So it's bittersweet for me. I wasn't a huge fan of it, but I'm willing to admit that it's for the good of the film.

6. Editing. Like almost every other Apatow-produced movie (of which I'm generally a fan; and yes, I'd love to direct one of his movies) Bridesmaids started slow and could have been cut by at least 20 minutes. I was surprised to find two editors on the credits. *, they can't even edit the number of editors on these films!

Editor: Disagree. I found the earlier parts between Wiig and Hamm and Wiig and Rudolph to be funny and to help stabilize the characters (so when you saw Wiig and Rudolph go crazy, you can take it into context with their overall personalities). The danger with rushing a film is that you sometimes don't get to meet the characters in their normal worlds, and Bridesmaids executed on that better than many films.

7. Cinematography. One fellow director told me ahead of time that the cinematography was impressive. Really?? I found it to be flatly lit, and had not a single memorable or inspiring shot in the movie. Comedies don't have to be badly shot. Even some films from Apatow-alumni directors like Greg Mottola (Superbad, Paul) and David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Your Highness) have ambitious cinematography. But those guys also both cut their chops on award-winning festival films before heading to TV and then back again to features.

Editor: Agree, but I didn't find it to be a big deal.

8. Bodily fluids. If you're going to go there, then don't pull your punches. Vomiting on one another was inspired, but with not one but two characters defecating in inappropriate places, why not show a little brown? Especially after hearing incessant reviews that there would be bodily fluids to compete with "male" comedies, I felt let down.

Editor: Disagree. I was super glad that they didn't show it. It helped remind me that women were involved, and they have better taste (well, only slightly better).

9. Annie Walker. Kristen Wiig's character has the same name as Piper Perabo's on the USA series Covert Affairs. Now, Bridesmaids was undoubtedly shot (and most certainly written) before Covert Affairs premiered in the summer of 2010 on basic cable. But all it takes is one writer's assistant or clearance paralegal to do an IMDB check at some point along the way and have the filmmakers just edit out Wiig's character's last name during her engagement shower speech (a scene that could have used the cutting anyway).

Editor: Back it the real world, we just don't care. It's a good name.

10. Jon Hamm. Why have so many (from reviewers to the filmmakers themselves) found it so odd that such a good-looking guy like Jon Hamm would fall for Kristen Wiig? Wiig is very pretty. (And contrary to the script, she's just as skinny as Rose Byrne, if not more so). Why wouldn't she land a fellow like Hamm? I mean, is she any worse looking than Hamm's real life mate Jennifer Westfelt? I dare say, not.

Editor: I must have missed that buzz. Hamm is definitely handsome, and seeing a handsome man in a loathesome role was incredibly funny and refreshing. So I think we both agree that Hamm was good in this role. You're more disappointed with people who we should just ignore. =^)

11. My bitter jealousy of Paul Feig. Ever since I was part of the Slamdance Film Festival programming committee that rejected his first movie (Life Sold Separately) back in the 90s, Feig's career has soared. From Freaks and Geeks to Undeclared, to directing landmark episodes of The Office and Weeds, to a burgeoning feature career under the wing of Judd Apatow, Feig is that rare comedy director who coasts easily between features and quality television. To get the opportunity to work with such talented writer/actors as Kristen Wiig and the rest of the Bridesmaids cast is a gift to him from the comedy gods. He acquitted himself exceptionally well, and deserves to be considered as a Best Director by any and all standards. Finally, by all accounts, he seems like a very nice guy, too. That *!

Editor: So this one is about your jealousy? Hmm. Well, Feig had his lumps in his career (like you said, you rejected him), and he's only now starting to get some credit as a film director, so he hasn't even peaked yet. If you want to have the success he's had, you might want to emulate his formula. Go to TV and try to create a show with a few experienced producers. See what happens.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

There's no denying that 2011 was a huge year for "Saturday Night Live" star Kristen Wiig.

"Bridesmaids," the R-rated comedy she co-wrote and starred in, was one of the biggest movies of the year. In fact, it was just nominated for a Golden Globe for best comedy, and Wiig also received a nod for her performance in the film.

Wiig continues to be one of the most reliably funny cast members on "SNL," playing what seems like the most recurring characters of any current "SNL" comedian.

But now that she's begun the transition from funny side character and "SNL" crackup to leading lady, we think 2012 is the year Wiig could really shine. Even if "Bridesmaids" doesn't win any Globes, it's still a pretty great way to start the year. There's also the People's Choice Awards and the Critics Choice Awards, which have also given "Bridesmaids" accolades.

The thing we think could help Wiig become an A-list star once and for all, though, starts with the upcoming film "Friends With Kids," in which she costars alongside her buddy Jon Hamm. Seeing Wiig in a slightly more dramatic role could help solidify her as an actress in her own right, and combined with her "Bridesmaids" and "SNL" success, could lead to some really spectacular roles and writing opportunities.

What do you think? Was 2011 Wiig's year, or are better things to come in 2012?

Well, I'm not sure if 50/50 and "My Week with Marilyn" should be comedies. They're more like dramas with comedic elements. "Marilyn" will win hands down. Shouldn't even be in the same category as Bridesmaids, unfortunately. However, it's fantastic that we see Bridesmaids here at all, when other films like Hangover 2 don't get nominated.

And then Kristen Wiig is being nominated for Bridesmaids as...

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical

So there's no way that Kristen can take these ladies out either. This is really between Charlize Theron and Michelle Williams' Marilyn. But throwing in Jody Foster and Kate Winslet in as well? And you'd bet Kristen is honored to be listed among them!

Actor Simon Pegg, actress Kristen Wiig, and actor Bill Hader attend the "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" U.S. premiere after party at the Museum of Modern Art on December 19, 2011 in New York City.

So Kristen Wiig appeared in Paul last year with Simon Pegg, and she and Bill Hader hung out a lot with Simon. In Mission Impossible 4, Simon played the comedic relief character.

This is Daniel's first appearance on SNL. Daniel is of course Harry Potter from the hit film series. I'm surprised he hasn't hosted until after the series.

Daniel's next movie he's promoting is Woman in Black, where he's a young lawyer who travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. Looks like it's set in the 1800s.

Bringing joy to both ends of the cultural spectrum—that is, to frat boys and feminists alike—the R-rated comedy Bridesmaids has arguably become 2011’s most universally beloved film. Thanks to its transgressive take on female-friendly raunch and jolts of explosive toilet humor, the $32.5 million movie clocked more than $288 million at the box office worldwide to become a monster summer hit. And now Bridesmaids is finding its way onto critics’ and film boards’ best-of year-end movie lists alongside more sobering dramatic fare such as War Horse, The Tree of Life, and Moneyball.

But can Bridesmaids pull the upset of all upsets? With buzz around Hollywood growing progressively louder for the film as the awards season makes its inexorable slog toward the Kodak Theater, could Bridesmaids land an Oscar nomination?

According to a growing number of movie pundits and Gurus of Gold, the movie is a likely contender for several Golden Globes, whose nominations are announced Dec. 15. It stands a solid chance of seeing some Oscar love too, particularly Bridesmaids’ writer-star Kristen Wiig and co-writer Annie Mumolo in the Best Original Screenplay category, which seems to be a wide open field this year. (The nominations come in January.)

Never mind that Academy voters historically have been reluctant to honor movies that provoke belly laughs instead of jerking tears. The two acknowledged frontrunners for Best Original Screenplay, the black-and-white silent feature The Artist and Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris, stand out, a refreshing change of pace, as funny films with dramatic moments, rather than vice versa.

“People seem to think it’s more difficult to make movies without jokes in them,” noted Bridesmaids producer Judd Apatow. “But that’s just not true.”

To underscore how unlikely Bridesmaids’ rise to become part of this cultural conversation is, you have to trace the movie’s roots back to 2006. That year, Saturday Night Live regular Wiig was cast in a bit part as a paggro cable television executive in the movie Apatow was directing at the time, Knocked Up. Applying what he describes as his “usual M.O.,” the comedy kingpin, responsible for many of the most successful funny films of the past decade, asked Wiig if she had any movie ideas.

“This was before people know who Kristen was from SNL,” Apatow recalled. “She would just get giant laughs right off the bat. So I just said to her, ‘Let me know if you have any ideas for a screenplay for yourself.’ That’s what happened on Anchorman when I worked with Steve Carell. He had the idea for The 40 Year Old Virgin.”

“At some point after that shoot, Kristen said she and her partner, Annie, had this idea, which was Bridesmaids,” he continued. “But there was no script. Just an idea.”

That idea was originally titled Maid of Honor, until the production discovered a movie of the same name already existed. But the basic premise for Bridesmaids was there from the beginning. The film would follow a “wounded woman” (Wiig), someone with crushingly low self-esteem who starts spinning out of control just as her best friend puts her life in order by getting married. Adding insult to injury, each of the other bridesmaids are better off than she is for one reason or another, raising the stakes of the character’s explicit need for personal redemption.

Over the following years, writing commenced, with Wiig in New York for her day job and Mumolo grinding out the script in Los Angeles. The two would meet on weekends and conduct semi-regular “table reads” of drafts for Apatow to get his notes and suggestions. Every joke was tweaked and reworked multiple times to achieve maximum comic liftoff. “It was a long time and a lot of work,” said a source who has worked with Apatow on several projects, including Bridesmaids, but who requested anonymity. “You might write a million versions of every scene. There’s always a chance to elevate the material, to make everything even better.”

The producer’s longtime creative partner, Paul Feig—who created Freaks and Geeks, the Fox TV series that delivered Apatow initial renown as a comedic tastemaker—was brought on to direct Bridesmaids. The cast, meanwhile, was rounded out by a hodgepodge of TV and movie actresses, including Wiig’s former Saturday Night Live castmate Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne (TV’s Damages, X-Men: First Class), and the movie’s breakout star, Melissa McCarthy, from the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly.

About two thirds of the way through production, the producer made a suggestion that was greeted with considerable reluctance. He proposed to Mumolo and Wiig what remains Bridesmaids’ central talking point: a gut-busting sequence in which the maids of honor are brought low by food poisoning courtesy of Wiig’s character’s restaurant choice. From there, they are shown suffering through bouts of explosive diarrhea as well as vomiting in, on, and around a fancy-pants wedding dress shop.

“The reaction was, ‘Are you * kidding? This is not what happens to women. That’s not what kind of movie this is,’” remembered the source close to the production. “There was definite reluctance about it. But they took a leap of faith because of Judd and Paul. ‘These are funny guys and they know what they’re talking about.’ It wasn’t [Wiig and Mumolo’s] instinct to put that in the movie, though.”

Apatow, however, brushes off the notion that he strong-armed the writers into including the explosive pooping and insists none of it would have been included had the footage not been up to par. “It was important that there were some moments that would bring down the house,” he said. “We knew this would be a big swing, an all-or-nothing proposition.”

“But there’s always a moment beforehand when we say, ‘Are we really going to do this?’” he continued. “There’s a set now and special-effects people who are trying to determine whether the sink is too high for Melissa to jump on. So there was a breath where we all said, ‘Let’s give it a shot. If it works, it works. And if it doesn’t, we’ll cut it out.’”

In addition to scoring with both audiences and critics, Bridesmaids’ short-term impact has been to get other woman-fronted comedies the green light from Hollywood’s studio system by putting to rest Christopher Hitchens’s “Why women aren’t funny” debate. “It’s ridiculous. Women are more than 50 percent of the population and they are forced to see movies made primarily by men, starring men, and about men,” Apatow said. “But that’s not why we made it. It was only after the movie was completed that anyone said this had any significance. We didn’t think it was any different than something like The House Bunny or Baby Mama. So we didn’t think we were breaking any new ground. We just thought it was a fun thing to do.”

It's a normal morning on "The Today Show" with Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford until Regis Philbin stops by.

Ha! So we haven't seen Kristen Wiig lead as many of these skits since after her encounter with the real Kathie Lee. But she pulls Kathie Lee back out in order to interact with Jimmy's spot-on Regis impression.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Kristen Wiig got together with Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti at a Black Keys album party.

Kristen Wiig may have a new beau — but what happened to her old one?

The “Saturday Night Live” funnygirl has been linked with the Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti, but until recently, Wiig was in a long-term relationship with her live-in boyfriend, actor-filmmaker Brian Petsos. The 37-year-old had often waxed poetically about “The Funny or Die” producer (Petsos), whom she first met when she was 15.

Just this past June, in an interview promoting her flick “Bridesmaids” with the British publication Stylist, she told the mag she had “been in a relationship for years now and we consider ourselves married.”

Wiig, who had previously been hitched to actor Hayes Hargrove , added that she didn’t “see the need for an actual wedding.” But according to a source, things became “troubled” between the shacked-up pair over the summer. Both parties kept things quiet as the relationship began to unravel, due to Wiig’s tendency to be a “private and shy” person.

The insider, who is close to Wiig’s launch pad to success, “SNL,” adds that her rise to fame was part of the wedge between the long-time couple.

“She became really famous, really fast,” says the source, pointing out that Wiig had struggled as a comedian for a long time with Petsos before hitting it big. “And everyone knew it, especially Brian.” While the insider called Petsos a “seemingly supportive” person, the differences in the status of their entertainment careers began to “wear on them.”

But things haven’t gone completely sour between Wiig and her former flame. “They still talk,” says the source. “I’m sure [the thing with\] Fabrizio is going to surprise a lot of people around her.”

Wiig and Moretti, who were first spotted together at a celebration at the W Hotel for the Black Keys’ new album on Monday, looked awfully cozy on Wednesday evening at a party at the Absolut House on the LES, hosted by Chris Taylor of the band Grizzly Bear. A source at the bash says Wiig arrived solo, telling a few of the guests that she was “meeting a friend there.” Eventually the musician, who dated Drew Barrymore for five years until 2007, arrived at the party, making a beeline for the lithe blond. Our insider says Wiig and Moretti “were openly all over each other.”

When a photographer went to snap their picture together, “she freaked out.” The source says Wiig looked both ways, as if trying to find an escape route, and in a chivalrous move the 31-year-old drummer “covered her with a coat” to block her face from the flashes. “They definitely did not want to be photographed together,” says the party-goer, adding the loved-up duo left together before 11 p.m.

The Saturday Night Live comic and Bridesmaids star, 38, was spotted with the Strokes drummer, 31, at Monday's bash for the Black Keys' new album at the W Hotel in NYC.

"Kristen and Fabrizio were making out in a booth," an observer tells Us Weekly. "They were all over each other! They were definitely not discreet."

(The New York Post's Page Six also reported the siting at the W, noting the pair "were literally on op of each other."

She and Moretti (who dated Drew Barrymore for five years before splitting in 2007) were seen together again two nights later at a Wednesday party at Absolut House on Manhattan's Lower East Side, according to another witness. Wiig was briefly married to actor Hayes Hargrove; as of May 2010, she was living with actor/filmmaker Brian Petsos.

This is Kristen's first new character (in order of appearance on SNL this week). It's our second favorite starring role she did of the three this week (our first is Rebecca Larue, the professional flirter).

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Kristen had a good week with Greta and a few others. But the standout was her new performance as a flirter on Weekend Update. Fantastic job, Kristen!

This week had guest appearances from Darrell Hammond, Alec Baldwin, Matt Damon, and Val Kilmer. That was pretty sweet. Alec had the best appearance, where he cleverly covered up hos own mishap that got him in the news (Alec pretended to be a piolot who apologizes to Alec for how he was treated). It's a clever way to subdue bad press for Alec.

And as you can see, the gag of including John Goodman on the staff would be a hilarious inside joke (and good for a lot of media press), as would including the Don Pardo 9000. Of course, they could go all the way and get actors to play cast members Drew Adams, Michael Butler, Arianna Cleo, and Kevin Wallarski... but just including John Goodman and the Don Pardo 9000 would probably be enough to sell the joke.

John Goodman was truly the ghost of SNL hosts present because that season (24, 98-99) he cameo'd as Linda Tripp on Sep 26 (Cameron Diaz hosted), Nathan Barnett on Nov 14 (Joan Allen hosted), Tripp on Nov 21 (Jennifer Love Hewitt hosted), and Tripp on May 8 (Cuba Gooding Jr. hosted). He had 6 cameos total that season, and Goodman hosted on April 10 (99) that same season (so 7 appearances that season). And he hosted consequetively in seasons 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24 (this 98 season), 25, and 26 (hosting 12 times, total). So that sets the context as to why he was the ghost of SNL hosts present.

John Goodman had 21 total appearances from 89-03, which is more than any other guest during that time period. However, Steve Martin had 24 total appearances (15 hosting), and Alec Baldwin has had 22 total appearances (16 hosting). So John Goodman is third both in total appearances (21) and hosting (12).

So... Jimmy Fallon announced that he's going to host the December 17 episode of Saturday Night Live, with musical guest Michael Buble. It marks Fallon's first time hosting since he left the show in 2004, but fans shouldn't be too surprised to see him back in Studio 8H — not only has he done cameos on the show here and there, but back in 1998, SNL itself announced he'd host right around then. As you can see in the video, Alec Baldwin's monologue from a season 24 episode predicts exactly this: That Jimmy Fallon, as the host of Christmas future in this Christmas Carol riff, will host on December 12, 2011. Most people remember this episode for its Schwetty Balls, but perhaps its prescience will become its new calling card!

That's right! Jimmy Fallon was only 5 days off! (What's the matter, they didn't do their calendar math correctly and pick a date that lands on a Saturday, or did they think it was going to move to Monday and be called MNL instead?)

They obviously weren't thinking (or caring) about getting the date right. They just picked the same date as that episode that Baldwin was hosting (which was on December 12th, 1998).

I actually remember watching this episode back in 98. At this point in time, Jimmy was in his first year on the show (only his third month), he was a featured cast member, and a total noob to the show. So at the time I was skeptical if he would be popular in 2011. But he pulled it off!

However, I was excited about him at that point in time, because of his song during the October 4th episode...

These are the SNL bits he previously had done (at that point in time):

1. September 26, 1998 (Cameron Diaz hosted)
- He played Gilbert Gottfried in a Hollywood Squares bit; I wonder if Fallon's Gottfried is as good as Taran Killam's sweet portrayal

3. October 17, 1998 (Lucy Lawless hosted)
- 5 bit roles, including a Steven Tyler impression in a group sketch.

4. October 24th, 1998 (Ben Stiller hosted)
- Adam Sandler on Celebrity Jeopardy (this was memorable and a key bit that got Jimmy on SNL)
- A Jimmy Fallon song on Weekend Update (this was when I really noticed Jimmy and thought he was going further than he ended up going)

6. November 14, 1998 (Joan Allen hosted)
- 2 bit roles and solid Marilyn Manson and French Steweart impressions in group sketches.
- He really sold his Jerry Seinfeld impression in Tarmac Talk. So this was noticeable and impressive.

8. December 5, 1998 (Vince Vaughn hosted)
- A hilarious (but brief) Richard Simmons impression in the cold open.
- Lead in "Married Guys" with Will and Vince
- Ghost of John Lennon
- 2 more bit roles.

And then that brings us to the Baldwin episode on 12/12/98.

So while Fallon was proving himself by filling in his impressions (more often than Jay Pharoah and Taran Killam are today, but probably not as well as they are, because the only impressions Fallon had gotten as the center of a bit were his Seinfeld and Lennon), it was relly just his guitar song he did on October 24th where you started to wonder if he was the next Adam Sandler (and he's not, if you're wondering).

So taking all that into consideration, to have Jimmy stand up and say he'd be a hit in 13 years, it was a little gutsy on everybody's part (including the producers). It was funny enough to do anyway, but I remember thinking, "We'll see. If you keep doing songs like that one you did and maybe pull out some hit characters like the awesome ones that were hits at the time... Spartans, Dog Show, Goth Talk, Mr. Peepers, Clinton, Celebrity Jeopardy, The View, Ladies Man, Roxbury Guys, Delicious Dish, Antonio Banderas Ah Yes Show, Judge Judy, Culps, Mango, Martha Stewart Living, Harry Caray, Celine Dion, Mary Katherine Gallagher, and Pimp Chat." My personal opinion is that the only bits he had that were worthy of those hits that his teammates had above were Jeffrey's that he did with Ferrell and Sanz and his guitar bits on Weekend Update. Other than those, I don't think he had anything worthy. And I think his movie career echoed that well.

(But to be fair, Shannon, Gasteyer, Oteri, Kattan, and Meadows also never had hit film careers, even though they were amazing on SNL; it takes a unique person like Ferrell or Wiig to transition from SNL to a hit film career... or Meyers, Murphy, Chase, Murray, Sandler, etc.)

That said, I think Fallon could have found a niche to be popular by being on a sitcom (maybe) or by hosting a Today Show, which is what he did when he accidentally took over Conan's spot (it was done with Conan's blessing at the time). And the only reason why Fallon is hosting SNL now is because he has a hit show (Late Night). Just in time to host when he predicted (which is obviously the reason why they picked that date for him and announced it so early).

So we know that Jimmy Fallon and Kristen Wiig are close (they were in Whip It together, and Kristen Wiig has been on Late Night several times). So it's going to be exciting to see what the two of them cook up on SNL!